1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an air cleaner and in particular to an air cleaner which has a housing that can be aligned in several configurations and a mounting bracket which may be rotated relative to the housing.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Air cleaners are used for a wide variety of applications. Air cleaners typically use a filter element inside of a housing having an inlet and outlet so that the air passes through an exterior of a cylindrical filter element and out through the interior after passing through filter material, thereby trapping particulate material. In addition, air cleaners which utilize cyclonic air flow to enhance filtering have also been developed. An example of such an air cleaner with a deflecting intake tube is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,491,460 issued to Donaldson Company, the assignee of the present invention. The air cleaner produces a helical air flow resulting in the centrifugal separation of the heaviest particular matter. The air cleaner also includes a scavenge outlet which receives the heaviest particular matter which falls under gravity to reach the outlet. This provides for improved separation in filtering and extended filter life.
Mounting bands for mounting the air cleaner housing are well known. A prior mounting band is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,013,182, assigned to Donaldson Company. The mounting band fits around the housing and includes a spring to tighten the clamping action around the housing. Although this may retain the air cleaner in an appropriate position under most conditions, it may not prevent slipping of the housing under other conditions. In addition, the band may place undue tension around the housing under certain operating conditions. Other common bands used are metal clam shell type bands which have two pieces hinged together at one end and bolted together at a second end. This type of band may also place undue stress on the air cleaner and may corrode and rust, leading to failure.
It can be appreciated that in order for an air cleaner having helical air flow and a scavenge to efficiently operate, the scavenge should be placed at a lowermost portion of the air cleaner housing. This provides for gravity aiding in separation. To solve this problem, the mounting bracket needs to be adjustable to provide for orienting the scavenge in a downward direction. However, with inlets and outlets needed to be rearranged for different uses of the air cleaner, this is not always possible with the prior art devices.
It can be seen then, that an improved air cleaner is needed which provides a two part sealed housing for orienting the scavenge outlet at the lowermost portion of the housing. In addition, such an air cleaner should provide for positioning the inlet and outlet in numerous orientations while still maintaining the scavenge at a lowermost portion extending downward. In addition, a mounting bracket is needed which does not allow for slipping or rotation of the housing and which mounts to various surfaces while maintaining the proper inlet, outlet and scavenge outlet orientation. The mounting bracket should be easy to install and remove, preferably requiring no tools. The present invention addresses these as well as other problems associated with helical flow air cleaners.